LeBron James is SportsCenter's most mentioned athlete

Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) reacts to a call during the first
half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, against the San
Antonio Spurs Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne
Sladky)

James, whose Miami Heat have won back-to-back NBA titles, has been a top topic for all things ESPN since he entered the league as a highly-touted teen back in 2003. ESPN’s web site even has an entire tab dedicated to the Heat team known simply as the Heat Index.

James has been the most discussed and dissected athlete over the past decade, so his spot atop SportsCenter’s most mentioned list is not a surprise.

The study, which spanned over a year’s worth of SportsCenter and calculated total mentions per player, demonstrated that ESPN may focus slightly more on some sports and its athletes than others.

Out of the 12 top most mentioned athletes, eight were NBA players, three were NFL quarterbacks, and one, Tiger Woods, is a professional golfer.

Players from the NHL and MLB were noticeably absent.

According to Deadspin, the top 12 most mentioned athletes on ESPN’s SportsCenter over the past year were: